Interpretative ruling Barrios Altos
Interpretative judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that established that the decision in the Barrios Altos case has general effects, declaring invalid the amnesty laws that seek to prevent the investigation and punishment of serious human rights violations.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued an interpretive judgment on the Barrios Altos case, clarifying central aspects of its previous merits judgment of March 14, 2001. The Court unanimously decided that the judgment on the merits in the Barrios Altos case has general effects. This judgment established that amnesty laws that seek to leave crimes under international law and serious human rights violations unpunished have no legal effect. As a result, Peruvian courts of justice proceeded to initiate or pursue criminal proceedings against the alleged perpetrators of the crimes committed in the Barrios Altos case and other cases that had been favored by the amnesty laws.